I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France
Chapter 143 Basic Functions of a Tank

Chapter 143: Chapter 143 Basic Functions of a Tank

Colonel Brownie was a reckless fool. He arrived at Davaz Town with his Third Infantry Regiment at one a.m. with nearly two thousand men and over five hundred sidecars, the roaring engines still running, headlights on, and their weapons loaded and ready.

They were stopped by the guards at the town’s entrance.

Usually, the guards wouldn’t dare stop soldiers coming back from the battlefield, but due to the previous experience with the "Artillery Colonel," they braced themselves to confront this seemingly unfriendly troop.

As expected, both sides got into a quarrel. The noise alarmed the town’s residents, who assumed the capitalists had sent troops to harm Shire in the middle of the night. Remarkably, the residents quickly formed a militia.

Shire was sleeping soundly at home, but was abruptly awakened. He opened his eyes to see Camille’s pale face and, still groggy, was confused about the situation. Dejoka, tense and anxious, took him away, attempting to evacuate through another route under the militia’s cover.

Fortunately, Major Laurent arrived just in time. He called the command headquarters and verified Colonel Brownie’s orders, thus resolving the misunderstanding.

Colonel Brownie was completely unaware of the trouble he had caused. Seeing the disheveled and embarrassed Shire, he cheerfully greeted him:

"Hey, Lieutenant, long time no see! Where are you off to so late?"

"Why don’t we give you a lift? Your sidecars are very useful, and your tactics have helped us defeat many enemies!"

"Hahaha..."

Seeing the murderous looks around him, Colonel Brownie’s laughter awkwardly turned into a dry chuckle.

Shire was utterly helpless. He had intended to keep a low profile, not wanting the media to know about the troop’s special training so soon, but Brownie’s antics had caused an uproar in the entire town.

Sure enough, the newspapers started making numerous speculations the next day:

"The ’Commander’ of the Battle of the Marne and his troops have been transferred back to Davaz Town, currently stationed at Shire’s factory!"

"Is Gallieni hoping to recreate the victory of the Battle of the Marne using sidecars?"

"Without any armor, can Shire defeat Schneider and create another miracle with his sidecars?"

...

Now, there was no secrecy at all. The Germans only needed to buy a newspaper to know Shire’s preparation schedule and even the troop’s designation and training location. Sooner or later, Shire’s tank would be exposed.

Just as this thought occurred, he saw a photo of the "Mark I" already printed in the newspaper.

The media had activated the mocking mode:

"God, is this Shire’s new tank design? It looks bizarre!"

"Apparently, it has only three machine guns, two of which are Hatchkiss!"

"Does he hope to defeat the Germans with such a tank? And the military even bought a hundred of them!"

...

Gallieni was furious about this. The battle hadn’t even started, yet the enemy already knew all their secrets. Would they now also disclose the battle plans to the enemy?

"You need to consider the factory’s security!" Gallieni had never been so angry with Shire. Even if he had, it was always half-jokingly. But this time, he remained stern: "If you can’t do it, I will solve it for you!"

"No, General!" Shire responded, "I can do it, but..."

"But what?"

"One day, my tank must travel from Davaz to Paris Railway Station!" Shire’s expression showed helplessness: "Only then can we get the tank to the battlefield. How can we hide the tank’s route along the way?"

Gallieni thought for a moment and agreed. If reporters just stayed near the factory, they could accurately determine the tank’s departure time, and the Germans would then know Shire’s attack time.

After considering, he ordered: "This is not difficult. Extend the railway to Davaz Town!"

Thus, a railroad was built with five construction teams working around the clock. Gallieni planned to have it completed two weeks ahead of schedule. There were no stations along the way; it led directly to the Shire Tractor Factory, with a dedicated railway station within the factory.

As for the factory’s security measures, Shire casually instructed Dejoka without giving it much thought, as the significant details had already been exposed.

...

Colonel Estiny arrived in Paris the following evening only to be immediately detained by Gallieni’s men.

What followed was a whole night of questioning until it was confirmed that Estiny was not a problem. Only then was he released.

When Estiny reached the Shire Tractor Factory, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was so tired that his face was distorted.

This was Gallieni’s usual method of interrogating suspects. He believed that when people were extremely exhausted, they spoke without thinking, making it more likely to tell the truth. This method couldn’t even be considered "punishment"; it was just simple questioning.

Clearly, Estiny passed this test.

Shire brought Brownie and Estiny to the "Mark I" and nodded toward the tank: "You have two weeks to learn to coordinate with it and then defeat the Germans!"

Brownie remained calm. He wasn’t excited by the tank’s massive body, nor disappointed by its lack of cannons.

This was what Shire hoped to see. A professional soldier should focus more on whether the tank was suitable for the battlefield and helpful for the mission, not whether it carried powerful weapons.

Estiny walked around the tank half a circle, becoming increasingly excited. The exhaustion on his face gradually disappeared, and he seemed to have regained several years of youth.

"Lieutenant!" Estiny returned to Shire’s side, with some uncertainty in his eyes, hesitantly saying, "I guess it’s for... trench crossing?"

Shire nodded. As expected of a tank design expert, Estiny could see the primary purpose of the "Mark I" at a glance.

Shire walked a few steps around the tank, with Estiny following like a pupil behind his teacher, his head lowered. Colonel Brownie, on the other hand, was nonchalant, gripping the sword on his waist with his left hand and touching this and that with his right, like he was shopping in a supermarket.

Shire ignored Brownie and asked Estiny: "Colonel, what do you think is the fundamental function of a tank?"

Estiny pondered for a moment and cautiously answered as if responding to a teacher: "To cover the infantry’s advance and break through enemy lines!"

He thought of the Battle of the Marne, where Shire’s original tank served exactly this purpose.

Shire nodded: "If even this goal can’t be achieved..."

Estiny suddenly realized: "Then all weapons will lose their significance. My God, we all overlooked this, which led to the failures of the CA-1 and the ’Saint Chammon’!"

This was crucial. The tank’s most significant role during World War I should be as a shield, providing cover for the infantry and preventing them from being massacred by enemy machine guns.

To achieve this, the tank needed a certain speed, so it wouldn’t be easily hit by enemy artillery.

Moreover, the tank also needed a degree of protection and trench-crossing ability.

If not, it would either be stuck in shell craters or pierced by enemy rifles on the battlefield, unable to even reach the enemy. What would be the point of adding weapons on top?